WANDERING sheep, a hole in a fence and years-long frustration have combined to bring a man before Bathurst Local Court.
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Peter Andrew Siejka, 58, of Limekilns Road, Forest Grove, was sentenced in Bathurst Local Court on September 11, 2023 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of intimidation.
Police documents before the court said Siejka called a man at about 10.30am on May 7, 2023 to angrily criticise him for the man's sheep going onto Siejka's property through a hole in the fence.
The victim went to Siejka's property to retrieve the sheep and said he saw Siejka driving a black and red buggy towards him.
According to the police documents, the victim was almost hit by an "extremely angry" Siejka, who yelled at the victim as he chased him around the property.
The victim kept running from Siejka until he fell over, before he quickly got to his feet and kept going.
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The police documents said Siejka called the victim - who recorded the incident on his phone - on May 14, 2023.
It was at about 2.30pm the same day when the victim returned the call from Siejka, who yelled about his sheep and threatened to "flog" the man when he went to get them.
"Gonna bash the [expletive] out of you when you get here," Siejka said.
The victim called police, who arrived a short time later and got the man's statement.
Siejka went to Bathurst Police Station at about 3.30pm the following day, where he denied the incident.
Sentence
Solicitor Timothy Cain told the court his client - who had a "prior unblemished character" - was frustrated about the longstanding issue, which stemmed from problematic fencing.
"The issue has been ongoing with regards to stock. It's been going on for many years. It just got to a boiling point," Mr Cain said.
Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis told Siejka he "acted like an aggressive teenager".
But Ms Ellis acknowledged the "years of frustration" that led to the charges, which the court heard carry a maximum of five years in jail.
"How would you feel if the tables were turned?" Ms Ellis asked.
"It must've been frightening for the victim."
Siejka was placed on a conditional release order for 12 months without a conviction.
"Do not act like this," Ms Ellis said.
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